ABSTRACT
Perception is the overriding influence surrounding our understanding of organizational communication. The process of perception is the selecting, organizing, and interpreting of sensory stimulations into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world. Paradigms are the working principles formed from our perceptions and past behaviors that we use to guide us as we respond to our surroundings, tackle problems, or deal with uncertainty. Gaining insights into the perception process is a foundational step in helping us become effective organizational communicators. Perception is our interpretation of reality. There are two benefits to understanding the role of perception in organizations. First, we can adjust our own perceptual capacities to enhance our performances, and second, we can learn to better understand other people's actions and responses. Paradigms are our perceptual theories-in-use that influence our understanding of organizations and guide our actions. Paradigms, which are based on perception gained through experience, always involve leaving out some details in favor of others.
